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1/72 AMT Kamov Ka-52 "Hokum B"


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As I am waiting for some oil paint to dry on my Aerosan I have started on my next project. I bought this a couple of years ago at the Telford kit swap:

P1130423_zpsxstjvrhm.jpg

It was originally released in 1988 by ESCI / Italeri, this is the AMT re-boxing which came out a year later. The Ka 52 is the two seat version of the Ka 50.

There are three brown sprues which feature some nicely engraved panel lines:

P1130424_zps5cdqiuw2.jpg

There is a very basic decal sheet and OKish clear parts which look like they would benefit from a polish up:

P1130425_zpsfiemaadf.jpg

The instructions offer only one scheme

P1130426_zpshrsyut03.jpg

I have also ordered this PE set and this lovely decal sheet which provides all the missing stencils and plenty of scheme options.

Bye for now,

Nigel

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Looks interesting. Please excuse my ignorance if I'm wrong (better than even chance) but I was under the impression that the HOKUM was a single seater?

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Looks interesting. Please excuse my ignorance if I'm wrong (better than even chance) but I was under the impression that the HOKUM was a single seater?

There are two major versions, the Ka-50 is the original single seat version, whilst the Ka-52 is a two seater with a side-by-side crew arrangement.

The kit Nigel's using looks like it's based on some of the earliest information on the aircraft, so it's far from accurate: LINK.

It'll be a great "what if?" subject, though! :coolio:

Mike.

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As others have said, the Ka-50 is a single-seater, with the Ka-52 being a side-by-side two seater.

So your kit is totally ficticious - and might make a good WhIF......

However, the first prototype Ka-50 was painted up to look like a tandem two-seater - with a 'dummy' rear window.....

ka-50_07a.jpg

Ken

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What a bunch of Hokum.

Will be interesting to see what you make of it.

By the way, if you are going to whiff it, Cuba would be an interesting option.

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I got a bit done yesterday but it wasn't worth reporting. There are some ejector marks on the cockpit floor that need sorting. Why couldn't they put the one in the rear under the seat like in the front?? It was a right pain to clean up:

P1130427_zpsm5vjldpx.jpg

I am starting to find that the fit of parts on this kit is rather poor. When I test fitted this part for the main gear wells there was this tapering gap in the roof of the bay, also the inboard length is shorter than the outboard:

P1130428_zpskmmmfiwc.jpg

I fixed the length issue by packing the front with some 0.5mm card and then glued this piece in place with a best compromise fit to minimise the gap. There is also some 0.4mm card to pack a gap at the front edge:

P1130429_zpsnnjfl0fj.jpg

The instructions say to put that part in after closing up the fuselage but I think its definitely better done before that.

The fuselage halves are warped but its not a big deal as they easily pull together:

P1130430_zpscx5waccf.jpg

Mocking up the cockpit I found that the rear IP is way too tall, by more than a millimetre:

P1130434_zpsfjtbzaer.jpg

I sorted that by re-profiling the top of the IP and then found that the front panel was also too tall so I removed quite a bit from the top of that as well as using my motor tool to remove some material from the underside of the coaming:

P1130438_zpsbabku3qv.jpg

The instruments are provided as decals, unfortunately these are just black printed on clear so no provision for the white dials. I removed them from the sheet, trimmed off their carrier film and shaped to the new dimensions and placed them upside down on some non-stick plastic to dry out. I will attempt to paint the instruments from behind - wish me luck with that one:

P1130439_zpsqtr1y1cg.jpg

Next I masked up the fuselage ready for some paint:

P1130440_zpsyb62mghx.jpg

By now I had got all the cockpit parts ready for some primer:

P1130441_zpsl5sf6csh.jpg

The last job of the day was to get the priming done:

P1130442_zpssglrkndq.jpg

I should get the top coats on tomorrow and then be able to close up the fuselage. That seems to have come round quickly.

Bye for now,

Nigel

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This is something a bit different. Sat at the back with Fruit Gums (they last ages) and :popcorn:.

Best regards

Tony

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Yikes! Good job sorting out the (sort of nearly like a) fit Nigel.

And good luck painting the back of the i/p transfers.

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Could this thing carry Brahmos I wonder? :hmmm:

That would be a truly scary prospect. :shutup:

I doubt it - the standard payload of a Ka-50 is approx 2,000kg - the air-launched version of Brahmos weighs in at 2,500kg.....

It's designed to be carried by Indian AF Su-30MK's.....

day06_001.jpg

.... and it is HUGE !!!

day04_002.jpg

Still, it is a WHIF you are doing - so you can do what you like !!

Ken

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Today I started by applying some white to the back of the upturned decals with one of my finest brushes:

P1130444_zpsxhj02zin.jpg

While they were drying I applied some light grey to the cockpit parts and tyre black on the seats:

P1130451_zps4vjjjnpb.jpg

All the Ka 50 and 52 cockpits I have found are actually all black but that would make the decals invisible so this was a compromise (the kit instructions actually call up light grey).

When all was dry I applied the decals which came out better than I was expecting:

P1130452_zpsh4rqhfri.jpg

I then made up some belts using grey lead wine bottle foil and some PE buckles:

P1130454_zpsirjytrmi.jpg

Now I could assemble the rest of the cockpit:

P1130455_zpskbjaykzv.jpg

I then inserted that in the RH fuselage and while that was setting I started building up the engines and winglets:

P1130456_zps5djznhw2.jpg

Now I thought I was in a good position to close up the fuselage:

P1130457_zps9yxlgodv.jpg

Just as I was applying liquid poly to the last of the seams I had a though: NOSE WEIGHT!!

Fortunately I had a get out of jail free card in the form of this laser targeting pod. I machined the area directly beneath it with a burr in my motor tool:

P1130458_zpsi0z7nd9w.jpg

I then packed the cavity with about half a dozen tapered slivers of lead and locked it all in place with a mix of black Milliput:

P1130459_zpsiczl6sxc.jpg

It would have been a tail sitter without the weight but now the CofG is well forward of the main gear legs:

P1130460_zpsuzlky9ni.jpg

More dimensional problems, there was this ugly gap at the back of the front cockpit, I had anticipated this and painted up some 1mm square rod to fill the gap:

P1130461_zpstwlcfwfk.jpg

I had not anticipated this gap at the back of the cockpit though, I will have to paint up some more rod to hide it:

P1130462_zps1b9mc5qu.jpg

The final job of the day was to get some filler on everything I had build up so far:

P1130463_zpsdxwtpzqo.jpg

It will be good to let that all harden up overnight.

Bye for now,

Nigel

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